There are a lot of unusual things about the Jack Russell Terrier breed that many would be owners are unaware of. Let's explore them.

Did you know that Jack Russell Terriers and Border Collies are considered to be the smartest breed of all dogs?

Did you know that there is a controversy about whether or not Jack Russell Terriers and Parson Russell Terriers are one and the same. The name of the Jack Russell Terrier was changed on April 1, 2003, to Parson Russell Terrier by the American Kennel Club and the Jack Russell Terrier no longer exists as a breed in the United States. But other diehard breeders and aficionados claim that the dogs are not the same. The Parsons Russell Terrier is a large dog and is primarily a show dog, while the smaller Jack Russell Terrier is primarily a working dog.

Jack Russell Terriers, Parson Russell Terriers and Russell Terriers registered with various kennel clubs and the FCI are generally not working dogs and most working Jack Russells are either unregistered dogs or are registered with one of the breed-specific Jack Russell Terrier Clubs.

Did you know that even though they are small, Jack Russell Terriers can jump fences as high as 5 feet. They will also dig under fences to hunt.

Jack Russell Terriers make great ratters and are employed by farmers to seek out vermin in their barns, including rats, raccoons and other pesky animals.

The Jack Russell is a hunting dog and has the instinct to roam. They can chase their prey beneath the earth and have been known to stay in underground burrows for days, refusing to come out until they have caught their target. The unfortunate thing is they will stay underground without food and water to the point of exhaustion and even death.

Jack Russell Terriers have thick waterproof coats which are useful for getting into foxholes in the wet underground.

Jack Russell Terriers make great watchdogs, they will bark at the sound of someone at the door, but they are very likely to lick and play with the stranger if invited in.

Weird Facts About Jack Russell Terriers

There are a number of unusual facts about the breed, as well:

The art world has been taken by storm. A Jack Russell Terrier by the name of Tillie is the new impressionist artist on the scene. She paints with paw prints, claw strokes imitating digging behavior and teeth marks. Tillie has had 17 solo showings, in Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels and Bermuda. Over 100 of Tillie's painting have been sold for up as much as $2,200 each. Tillie paints on canvass for about 15 minutes at a time. A London newspaper called Tillie, "the most successful living animal painter, second only to a dead chimpanzee, Congo."

The National Geographic Channel featured Tokkolas, a Jack Russell Terrier from Namibia, Africa, who became mother to both a lion and cheetah cub. Tokkolas, a male at that, performs his motherly duties at a remote animal sanctuary. The story also aired in the dogs with jobs series on Life Network from Canada, and PBS in the United States.